Samsung Galaxy Beam Projector-Phone Launching Next Month

Samsung took the opportunity at this year’s Mobile World Congress to show-off its new Galaxy Beam Android, a smartphone that integrates a pico-projector. If you had a bit of déjà vu, you’re not alone, since this is more like the Beam 2.0; Samsung already released a phone under the same name in 2010, also with a pic-projector, but the company apparently lost interest in the model and discontinued it with some haste. For whatever reason, Samsung’s taking another shot at the Beam, and we’re now starting to learn of its release plans for the handset, tipped to begin in Asia during April.

Samsung spokespeople have confirmed the Beam’s April launch for the Indian market. We haven’t read any other official statement from the company, but it’s a good possibility that we’ll see the Beam’s simultaneous release in other Asian countries. As for the phone’s fate beyond that, Samsung’s keeping its cards close to its chest.

The original Beam may have run Android 2.1 on a 720MHz processor, but thankfully Samsung is modernizing things for this second coming. It’s still not a powerhouse by any consideration, but a dual-core 1GHz CPU, five-megapixel camera, and 2000mAh battery sound pretty respectable. Rated at only 15 lumens, the Beam’s projector won’t be the brightest thing in the world, but squeezing it into a phone that’s under 13 millimeters thick is still a nice trick.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!